Ahead of the Kharif season, Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) in a bid to expansion is targeting to bring additional 30,000 Acre under natural farming in 2023-24 in Himachal Pradesh.

 

Agriculture Secretary Rakesh Kanwar on Wednesday asked the officials to engage with farmers to work on area expansion under natural farming ahead of Kharif season.

 

He said this should primarily include the existing farmers practicing natural farming, whose number has risen to 1.59 lakh farmers in the state.

 

 'The total area under natural farming in the state is around 50,000 Acre so far. The target is to bring additional 30,000 Acre under natural farming in 2023-24,' he said.

 

Chairing the review meeting of the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana here, Rakesh Kanwar asked the officials to reach out to the farmers with millet production plan as well for the kharif season and said they must do necessary arrangements for the same, including timely availability of seeds of millets to the farmers.

 

The officials must organize regular interaction of trained farmers with new farmers for experience sharing for awareness on the natural farming technique, he added.

 

He said the ATMA officials should identify some areas, where people are willing to go for natural farming on their own, and work out a strategy to declare them a natural village, panchayat or at any level.

 

The Secretary said the PK3Y should aim at assessing the production of the natural apples so that it could be well advertised in advance to see the response among buyers.

 

 'This would add to the marketing linkages for the natural produce,' he said.

 

State Project Director, PK3Y Naresh Thakur said around 52,000 farmers have so far been certified for natural produce through a self certification method devised under PK3Y.

 

He said there was a target to certify all the existing farmers.

 

Thakur asked the officials to devise a method so that the NGOs or Farmer Producer Organisations can also be brought under certification for agriculture and horticulture produce.

 

'A mechanism should also be there to certify the processed products like ghee of a desi cow, fruit jam etc for better marketing,' he said.

India needs to change its profile of exports dramatically to achieve the target of $1 trillion goods exports by 2030 and all attempts are being made to do that.

 

Santosh Kumar Sarangi, director general foreign trade (DGFT), said here on Tuesday that exports must grow at 14.5% hereon to reach the target of $2 trillion in goods and services amid geopolitical challenges like the Russia-Ukraine war and China's relation with Taiwan on one hand and the US and the EU on the other.

 

'There are emerging challenges like building supply chain resilience for critical minerals, energy resources and high-end technology. There are new non-tariff barriers like sustainability and labour standards. Plus the return to industrial policy of some countries like the CHIPS Act (in US and EU) and Inflation Reduction Act of the US focus on promoting some industries (basically a renewed push for manufacturing from services),' he said at an event organised by TPCI. However, India is well placed to tackle the challenges and is on the way forward to meet its targets.

While Pakistani mangoes have traditionally been more affordable compared to those from other countries, Ghurki highlighted the shift in the Chinese market towards prioritising quality over price. As a result, he emphasised the need for Pakistan to diversify its mango varieties and produce high-quality mangoes to cater to the discerning Chinese consumers. To facilitate mango exports, PCJCCI is planning to establish a Pak-China Trade Portal, leveraging the preference for online shopping among Chinese consumers.

 

PCJCCI, Senior Vice President, Fang Yulong emphasised the significance of effective mango packaging, preservation, deep processing, and transportation. He stressed the utilisation of three-dimensional transportation channels, including land, sea, and air, to ensure rapid delivery of mangoes. Additionally, Yulong proposed the establishment of large warehouse supermarkets in major Chinese cities to cater to the growing demand for the 'king of fruits' among Chinese consumers.

 

PCJCCI, Vice President, Hamza Khalid highlighted the current status of mango exports to China, revealing that Pakistan’s mangoes account for less than 0.36% of China’s total mango imports.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal said that India has emerged from the shadows of the past and is being looked upon as the bright spot by the world. During his address at the CII Annual Session 2023, 'Future Frontiers: Competitiveness, Technology, Sustainability and Internationalization' in New Delhi today, the Minister said that with adequate focus on innovation, quality and talent of the people, sky's the limit for growth of India. Shri Piyush Goyal said that it is incumbent to educate and enlighten the population as the demographic dividend with its technological and managerial talent is a treasure for the country.

 

The Minister said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is hailed as the leader of the global South and India is emerging as the global leader of the developing countries. He highlighted that many countries across the globe are keen on fast-tracking the FTAs with India now. Shri Goyal said that India is now not just talking but negotiating with Canada, EFTA, UK, EU over FTAs and this shows the increased importance of India in the global order. He said that this is a new India which engages with the world from a position of strength believing in its capabilities and calibre.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal said that over the last 9 years a successful journey has been undertaken by the Government, Regulators and the people to bring back the economy on track. He said that 9 years ago, there were many challenges stalling the economic development of India and at that time India was amongst the fragile 5 countries in the world, but the 9 years of government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has led to transformation beyond imagination.

 

Shri Goyal said that people expected the Government to be populist but the Government under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chose to take hard decisions to bring the economy back on track and up the morale of the public by bringing in structural fundamental macroeconomic reforms that promised long lasting benefits for the country. The Minister said that today India is the fastest growing economy of the world with low inflation and strong foreign exchange reserves. He said that the last 9 years have been unprecedented as inflation has been consistently under control in the range of 4-4.5% except for a short period last year. Shri Piyush Goyal said that interest rates in other developed countries are almost at par with India now.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal stressed upon expanding international outreach, bringing innovation and technology from across the world to grab the opportunities available for growth. He encouraged businesses to invest and engage with world markets through quality products and using Indian missions abroad. The Minister highlighted that India’s G20 Presidency is an opportunity for the businesses to expand markets with open mind and engage with the world with confidence.

 

Shri Goyal said that the target of achieving US$ 1 Trillion export of goods and US$ 1 Trillion of services is a modest target now. He said that the overall exports had been at US$ 500 Billion for almost a decade and reached US$ 676 Billion last year despite the difficulties being faced across the world. The Minister said that the overall exports of US$ 776 Billion in FY 2022-23 with US$ 450 Billion of merchandise exports and US$ 326 Billion of services exports is a laudable achievement for the country.

 

Shri Goyal said that the increased export basket will help India increase surpluses and reduce deficits. He said that now is the opportunity for businesses and industry to establish leadership in global trade. The Minister said that businesses should look for reliable partners in the supply chain, focus on comparative advantage, acquire technology and work in the spirit of collaboration.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal termed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the captain of India Inc. The Minister congratulated President-Designate, CII, Shri R. Dinesh on taking over as the CII President for 2023-24. He also praised the leadership of the President, CII, Shri Sanjiv Bajaj and appreciated the role played by him in leading CII during the challenging times of uncertainty across the world.

Onion exports jumped 64 per cent in volumes to hit a six year high at 25.25 lakh tonnes during 2022-23 on strong overseas demand and higher supplies. In value terms, onion shipments were up 22 per cent at $561 million over the previous year.

 

Shipments rose on higher purchases by large buyers such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.

 

'Lack of competition over the past few months coupled with higher overseas demand helped India export more onions during 2022-23,' said Ajit Shah, President, Horticulture Produce Exporters Association. 'However, we couldn’t take the full advantage of the global situation as countries such as the Philippines did not open up its market for India, while preferring to buy the Chinese produce,' he said.

 

Shah said exports prospects for the current year look good. However, due to the unseasonal rains, there is a lot of damage to the cargo, he said. 'Onion is available in plenty, but the good quality produce is less. Presently, the market is down because of the higher availability of poor grades and rain damaged produce in the market. How much of this can be exported, we have to wait and see.' Shah said.

 

Pakistan competition

The new crop in Pakistan, mainly from the Baluchistan, is also seen entering the global market and the Indian exporters are likely to face some competition from the neighbouring country considering that their currency has weakened considerably against the dollar.

 

'We have a good crop. We have to see how the quality will remain after one month, especially after the unseasonal rains in April -May and the heat waves. Further pricing will depend on the quality of the crop going forward,' Shah said.

 

In 2022-23, Bangladesh continued to be the largest buyer of Indian onions at over 6.7 lakh tonnes, followed by United Arab Emirates at 4.03 lakh tonnes, Malaysia at 3.93 lakh tonnes and Sri Lanka at over 2.7 lakh tonnes.

 

Malaysia has more than doubled its purchase of onions while the shipments rose about three times to UAE during the year. In 2021-22, Malaysia’s imports of Indian onions stood at 1.70 lakh tonnes, while UAE had imported 1.22 lakh tonnes. 'Demand continues to remain good for the Indian onions and we expect to sustain the shipment volumes' Shah said.

 

As per the Agriculture Ministry data as on May 8, rabi onion has been planted on 11.08 lakh hectares, higher than the targeted area of 10.76 lakh hectares, but less than the previous year’s 11.67 lakh hectares. As per the third advance estimates for 2021-22, onion production is projected at 31.27 million tonnes, up from previous year’s 26.64 m t.

The 20th edition of the Congress of International Agricultural Museums will be hosted in India — the first time that the global event is being held in the country — from October 13-18, the organisers said.

 

The congress is a triennial event in the calendar of the International Association of Agricultural Museums (AIMA), a forum for organisations dedicated to promoting interest in the impact of agriculture on human society through the ages.

 

It travels to different countries every three years to discover diverse and unique agricultural, environmental and museographic realities that provide new ideas, experiences and projects that can resonate in other regions and countries, the organisers said in a statement.

 

The 20th Congress of International Agricultural Museums (CIMA) is being held in Asia, and in India for the first time, between October 13-18, it said.

 

The host institutions are Shoolini University (Solan, Himachal Pradesh) and The Heritage Foundation (New Delhi), according to the AIMA website.

 

The event will also include museum and field visits.

 

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and the Delhi-based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage are also among the partnering institutions, the organisers said.

 

The South Asian region has a long history of agricultural practice and associated traditions. Agriculture remains central to the Indic civilisation and its many achievements.

 

'The CIMA 2023 Congress draws attention to and re-examines agricultural traditions, especially the current living adaptations of tradition, to help understand unique requirements of farming and describes the search for alternatives to address local problems of agriculture, food and nutrition,' the statement said.

 

The AIMA was founded in 1966. Congresses were held every three years throughout the Cold War, alternately in the East and the West, providing one of the very rare opportunities for people to exchange their professional and personal experiences, it said.

 

It promotes research and encourages collaboration among professionals working in agriculture and rural museums around the world.

The latest data with the Federation of India Exports Organisation (FIEO) shows that Uttar Pradesh's exports have gone up by Rs 10,000 crore in the past year.

 

Noida, which is among the most industrialised areas in the state, has topped as the district with most exports at Rs 74,000 crore.

FIEO says that the government's subsidies to counter the high costs of transportation in view of UP's landlocked status and push to the one district-one product scheme, have helped in taking the exports up.

 

As per the data, the total quantum of exports from UP in 2021-22 was Rs 1.57 lakh crore while from April 2022 to February 2023, it touched Rs 1.59 lakh crore. Sources said that with the input from March 2023, it was expected to touch around Rs 1.67 lakh crore.

 

Compared to other states, UP still has massive potential for improvement.

 

In 2021-22, Gujarat topped all states with exports of Rs 9.46 lakh crore, followed by Maharashtra with Rs 5.45 lakh crore. UP is fifth on the list, behind Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

 

UP is prominently exporting to the USA, UAE, Germany, United Kingdom, Nepal, France, Spain, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. Among the products which are driving up the state's exports are telecom instruments, buffalo meat, RMG Cotton including accessories, RMG manmade fibre, leather footwear, saddlery and harness, aluminum and aluminum products, silk and handmade carpets, machinery and engineering goods, wheat, rice, sugar, iron and steel, handicrafts etc.

 

As per FIEO's assessment, the reasons for UP's growth have been the export promotion schemes of the state government. Financial assistance is also being offered on transportation, which helps to regulate the cost of exports from UP, a landlocked state. This includes subsidies on freight and on export cargo sent by air.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India and Australia are working on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and exuded confidence that the bilateral trade will more than double in five years.

The two countries have already signed India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), he said expressing hope the pact will help in doubling the two-way commerce in the next five years.

 

Addressing a community event at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, the Prime Minister said the two countries are now working on CECA.

 

'We are building a resilient and reliable supply chain. This will strengthen the business of both countries,' he said.

 

PM Modi, who is visiting Australia as a guest of the Australian government, said the air connectivity between India and Australia has increased and the number of flights would go up further in the coming days.

 

Australia was the 13th largest trading partner of India in 2022-23. While exports stood at USD 6.95 billion, imports from that country in the last fiscal aggregated at USD 19 billion.

 

India is Australia's largest export market for gold and chickpeas, the second-largest market for coal and copper ores and the third-largest market for lead and wool.

 

The India-Australia ECTA is the first trade agreement of India with a developed country after more than a decade. ECTA provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries.

 

During April 2000 and December 2022, India received USD 1.07 billion in investments from Australia, according to government data.

 

Earlier in the day, PM Modi met business leaders of top Australian companies here and called for enhancing cooperation with the Indian industry in areas such as technology, skilling, and clean energy.

 

He held bilateral meetings with Hancock Prospecting Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart, Fortescue Future Industry Executive Chairman Andrew Forrest, and Australia Super CEO Paul Schroder.

India is in advanced talks with Brazil for the import of urad to boost the domestic supply and keep prices under control, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Tuesday. The country imports 7-7.5 lakh tonne of urad annually depending on the demand-supply gap, out of which 74 per cent is imported from Myanmar, he said.

 

'The agro-climatic condition in Brazil is suitable for producing urad. We are seriously exploring imports of urad from Brazil. The talks are in an advanced stage,' the Secretary told reporters.

 

About 2 lakh tonne of urad has been imported from Myanmar so far in the current calendar year, he said.

 

India is exploring other destinations for sourcing urad in order to reduce its dependency on Myanmar.

 

Recently, the consumer affairs department warned exporters of pulses from Myanmar against hoarding the commodity as it impacts domestic supplies.

 

The Agriculture Ministry has estimated urad production at 2.68 million tonnes for 2022-23 (July-June), lower than 2.77 million tonnes from the previous year.